Armored Collection
by RealmOfEmptiness
Summary: Shipgirls are the spirits of warships of old brought back to fight the threat of the Abyssal Fleet. But who ever said only ships can be summoned? Legends never die...they just reach a different battlefield. The first Kancolle/AC Xover ever.
1. Prologue: Gathering of Steel

**The idea is mine, but I could never have been able to make it a reality without the help of my dear friend Andivia. This story is a collaboration between us two, so if you want to put it on your watched list do the same for a story of his, they're all good.**

 **Disclaimer: RealmOfEmptiness and Andivia don't own even a single 1% of Kantai Collection and Armored Core. They belong to the societies that made them.**

* * *

 _Prologue: Gathering of Steel_

* * *

How much time had passed? Days? Weeks? Years?

He couldn't tell. He didn't remember.

His name. His origins. His past. Everything was a blank state.

He couldn't see. He couldn't hear. He couldn't feel. He couldn't move.

There was only him and the overbearing blackness that was his whole world. Never living, only existing, his own thoughts stopped in perpetual stasis.

 _Look there!_

Until he heard it.

 _They're coming! Run!_

 _It's too late!_

 _Mommy!_

Something began to stir. Forgotten memories resurface to the fore of his mind, jumbled images of blood and fire chief among them.

Why were those sounds so familiar?

 _Help me!_

Ah. Yes, that was it.

 _Someone, please...save me!_

Those were...cries of help. People screaming in despair, asking for salvation, for someone to protect them. For the first time he felt something, a deep rumbling rage tempered by iron-clad determination surfacing from inside.

Why? Why were those voices making him react like that?

 **"I was created to protect mankind and this world."**

...Yes, he remembered now. The purpose of his existence, the reason he was born into this world.

His name. His origins. His past. Everything was a blank state.

Except for his purpose.

A single light came into being in front of him. Blind, deaf and numb he nonetheless pushed himself forward, moving as if many miles underwater, the pressure threatening to crush him.

 _Isn't there out there someone that will save us?_

He will do it.

 _Isn't there out there someone that can defeat what is threatening us?_

He can do it.

For every centimeter gained more memories came back to him, until they were like a deluge threatening to submerge his still awakening consciousness. Yet he still persevered.

 _I can't see anymore...please, is someone, is someone out there?_

"I AM!" He bellowed with all of his strength through his comms system. He didn't notice how his voice was less synthetic and more natural.

With a final push he reached the light and jumped into it without hesitation. A single final piece of memory sets itself in its proper place, and he knew the right thing to say:

"Nineball Seraph! Launching!"

Thrusters roared to life, pushing the Master of Arena out of the light until his vision cleared.

And was promptly filled by a seemly endless body of water. The ocean stretched below him to the horizon, his sensors telling him of levels of pollution whole orders of magnitude lower than any of the records stored in his memory banks. It was the same for the air.

Looking around he discovered he was hovering above a large island with real trees covering its surface while the beach was clear of trash and detritus.

How was that possible? How could such a paradise of nature exists, untouched by the hellish ravages of the Great Destruction?

That was what he was created for, to regain Earth's past glories...and it was right before him, as if out of a history book. It didn't make any sense.

But then, it was the same for his own presence in that place.

He was supposed to be terminated, destroyed by the Raven that overcome all the obstacles he put in his way, driven by revenge for his killed father. His last moments were of laying down in the middle of a burning Arena, his systems failing one after the other until he went offline. And just like the world around him, he too felt different from what he was used to.

He lifted his right arm. What he saw was an metallic red and black gauntlet, on its side the barrel of what he knew was a powerful energy machine gun. His other arm was the same. His legs were clad in similar but smooth armor, small thrusters in the back humming softly as they keep him afloat.

He tried to run a complete diagnostic, only for the data he received to boggle his mind. Almost instinctively he became aware of additional wing-like binders on its shoulders, of large thrusters on his back and an angular spiked helmet covering his upper face. The reports on his arsenal spoke of improvements and additions he didn't remember being added, or even possible for that matter. He knew the theory behind the working of this new Core of his...but that was it, just a theory that wasn't feasible even with the entire resources of the Raven's Nest. The rest didn't make much sense either.

It was almost as though someone heavily updated his frame with technology much more advanced than his own time and then...then gave him a human-like appearance.

He couldn't come up with a rational explanation, and that frustrated him to no end.

Even more, if he had those improvements during his last battle he would have never lost!

A system alert suddenly popped up on the HUD. It was then replaced by his radar showing unidentified units moving near the southern part of the island, some airborne and two on sea level.

Igniting his boosters he quickly moved to intercept them. As he came closer he realized there was a battle going on, one of the sea-level units fighting against the rest.

A moment later he saw the first target: a small, sleek black plane with an almost organic appearance, teeth-like protuberances on its bottom together with a machine gun. There were twenty of them.

His attention switched to the first sea-level target: it had the appearance of a woman wearing an organic-looking black and white skin-tight suit, a set of lower teeth around her neck acting as a collar together with a cape. She was moving on the water as if skating, hands resting on a cane. She had a pale face with emotionless glowing orange eyes and long white hair. At the top of her head sat a large bulbous helmet with a lipless jaw in the front and glowing red oculars on the upper sides. In front of his eyes the jaw opened and a new plane flew out of it to join the others. On the lower sides were four tentacles moving like living serpents and two turrets shooting ballistic rounds at precise intervals.

From the explosions created when the rounds hit the water he calculated their destructive potential was way higher than what their sizes would suggest.

The target of the strange woman and the planes was another woman, this time looking completely human. She had brown eyes and long brown hair bunched into two braided buns. She was wearing an outfit that his archives identified as a modified miko uniform from the old nation of Japan, a skirt and thighhighs. Behind her was a metallic backpack shaped like the hull of a warship, with four sets of small cannons frantically shooting at her assailants. In contrast to the pale woman her face showed deep concentration, but also traces of panic. She was outnumbered, and she knew it.

Under his careful watch the brown haired woman managed to hold out the numerically superior force for several minutes before a lucky shot made her stagger. She was then hit by all sides before a powerful shot blasted her out of the water and onto the beach, where she roughly crashed. Her clothes in tatters and backpack damaged, she watched helplessly as the pale woman and her planes slowly drifted closer, as if savoring the moment before finishing her.

He knew that, if he did nothing, the pale woman would terminate the brown haired woman. He has been attracted by their battle only out of curiosity, in the hope of finding answers to his current situation. He was aware that, by interfering, he could turn around the battle's outcome for either side.

The problem was, which side should he support?

He focused on the pale woman, her face betraying no emotion. She was like an unmanned drone, a mindless machine following a program's directives.

His gaze switched to the brown haired woman. Her face showed defiance and anger, yet there were tears forming on the corner of her eyes, full of something he saw many, many times on the battlefield.

Fear.

He was a machine create to protect humans.

It was obvious neither of those two women was human.

And yet, the brown haired woman was clearly showing emotions that he only saw on the faces of humans.

It was sufficient.

He dived down, boosters pushing forward at full force. He took aim, machine guns on both arms roaring to life as they unleashed their payload on the black planes. They didn't stand a chance, their bodies shredded to pieces as the blasts of concentrated energy tore through their casings with ease.

By the time he landed between the pale woman and the brown haired woman only a few seconds had passed. By then every plane was destroyed, the pale woman having survived the onslaught only because he retreated back the moment the first plane was destroyed.

He rose from his crouched down position, the hum from his thrusters dying down. Through his visor he stared down at the pale woman.

As things were, there was only one thing to say. Even if he was a machine, he more or less understood the human saying of 'old habits die hard'.

So he spoke. The words that, he thought with pride, alone instilled fear and despair in the hearts of all Ravens for many years.

"Target Verified. Commencing Hostilities."

* * *

How long had he been fighting now? He couldn't remember. It had been so many years. Since the very first day he awoke there'd been nothing but endless battles.

He didn't regret it though.

He'd always been used by those that fought to protect. It had been fun, fighting alongside that laid-back Lynx. It had been fulfilling, fighting alongside the hero of the Lynx war. But that was what inevitably brought him here. On top of that bridge, fighting a pair of formidable opponents.

It hadn't been hopeless. In fact, he'd already sunk one opponent right to the bottom of the ocean. But he was at his limits. The heavy rifle rounds thumped against his armoured chest, tearing chunks from the plates and damaging fragile electronics. His consciousness flickered for a moment, and the rapidly firing rounds drew a jagged line of craters right across his torso and through his arm. The force spun him around and propelled him over the edge of the bridge.

He hadn't been fast enough. Hadn't been strong enough... It was disappointing, but he had learned that all things come to an end after his first partner abandoned him. He wouldn't complain though. He'd done his best right up until the very end. How could anyone complain about such a thing?

And when his partner spoke, something he rarely had to do when his actions spoke so loudly, he really couldn't complain about this ending.

He had said: "We'll see you soon, Joshua."

So as they both sank down to the crushing depths, the powerful boosters of his having died when they hit the water, he sank peacefully. Ready to see his old partner once more.

As the pressure grew and grew, his consciousness faded more and more. His sensors went down one by one until nothing was left, but the blackness.

Then, a pinprick of light invaded his vision, alongside sounds he couldn't quite identify. He focused, trying to adjust his sensors to compensate for whatever interference there was. But something felt... off. For lack of a better term.

The light expanded, and the sounds came into focus. They sounded suspiciously like voices, though distorted... Were those radio signals?

"Fal- -ree. F-ll -ck."

He still couldn't quite understand. But he was getting there. And his vision was good enough that he could see where he was. It was a cliff. Standing at the edge of the ocean. And the sight was so different from what he was used to. The ocean was just so... clean. So fresh and clear. And he felt different himself. He tried to run a diagnostic, only to find he couldn't access any of his automated programs. Nothing was working.

"Falcon actual, this is Falcon three. There's nowhere to fall back to! We pull back any further and the harbour is gone!"

He heard that clearly. His head snapped to the side, the direction he just knew the signal was coming from. A moment later he realised that the fact he could turn his head meant he had full control of his body.

Surprised by that fact, he lifted his arm. And he saw an angular white gauntlet gripping a familiar semi-automatic rifle. An inspection of his other arm revealed the same, with a gauntlet gripping his old assault rifle. His legs were clad in similar armour. A moment after he inspected his condition, it was as though a switch flipped in his head. He knew that the slightly bulkier part of armoured left leg housed his old laser blade, and he knew that his angular shark faced helmet covered his face. It was almost as though someone had turned his old body into a human one but kept the aesthetics and armaments. He even had thrusters on the backs of his legs, the oversized wings that his designer had gifted him with and even the pair of missile pods on his back.

"Falcon three, this is falcon actual. The harbour is lost. We're retiring from this fight."

"Falcon actual, this is falcon three. You're retiring. We're not moving. There are still civilians in the harbour."

He glanced up when he heard that. With barely a thought a waypoint appeared on the HUD provided by his helmet. It was almost as though he knew exactly how to use it without any sort of instruction. And he knew, that waypoint was showing him where this 'Falcon three' was transmitting from.

If he had to explain why that last transmission interested him... Maybe it was because they sounded like good men. Good men defending their home. That was a fight worth fighting.

He smiled under his helmet. It looked like he'd be joining his partners another time.

He didn't even have to think before his wings slid out and opened up, before blasting forward with enough force to leave ripples on the ocean hundreds of feet below.

The battle was closer than he thought. And he was close enough for his radar to pick up numerous aircraft and a handful of medium sized ships defending a harbour from... something. Whatever it was it was either too far away or too small for him to pick up from his distance. He could clearly hear the soldiers arguing over the radio though. Right up until 'falcon three' presumably cut off communications.

It was a moment later when he saw a target.

It surfaced between him and the defenders. Some sort of whale like creature. He almost dismissed it as a normal animal before the sound of a cannon and the familiar flash of a fired ballistic weapon came from its mouth. That made it a valid target in his eyes.

He was almost within missile lock range when he started broadcasting on all channels as his ever reliable missile pods popped open.

"Target sighted. Beginning operation."

An unmistakable tone sounded inside his helmet. Then the signature fwoosh and roar of accelerating missiles surrounded his head. A half second later and he had passed the creature, outrunning even his own missiles after they started relying on their own thrusters. With practiced ease he used his left side boosters to whirl around in an instant one-eighty degree turn just as his over boosters cut out and the wings slid back.

He hovered steadily in the air, ready to engage the enemy. And now that he'd slowed down, it was easy to see a pair of figures emerge from the water near the creature just as his barrage of sixteen missiles connected.

The creature didn't stand a chance, and was devoured by the fiery explosion of all sixteen detonations.

With the broadcast still running he finished his introduction.

"White Glint. Holding the line."

* * *

Quick.

That was the only way he could describe his ending.

A shot clipped the booster on his left leg, sending him tumbling head over heels.

There were maybe five seconds where he was immobilized on his back. Such an undignified position.

His partner tried to urge him to get up.

"I don't believe it. Partner... We still have work to do!"

Then a wave of missiles descended on his form.

And that was that. He had failed.

That defeat, it left an odd feeling. Could that be the bitter feeling of defeat? To be beaten by such a lowly bandit. One without any sort of obligation or honour.

How humiliating.

He could do nothing but dwell in his own thoughts, as his consciousness sank into blackness.

Then there was suddenly a sensation. A cold feeling underneath him. The ground?

That shouldn't be possible, all of his sensors had been destroyed by the barrage. His form annihilated by the overwhelming firepower.

Then the ground shook. The deafening boom of artillery falling shocked him into motion.

Standing was a reflexive action. He hadn't even realized the oddity of having full control until he was on his feet. Knowledge came to his mind, similar but in a way different to his diagnostic programs. He couldn't believe the information for a moment. But after glancing at his hands he couldn't deny what was being reported.

He was wearing white plates of armour around his now human body. Medieval style gauntlets covered his hands, with a similar styled helmet on his head. And in those hands were his trusty rifle and his forearm attached laser blade. He didn't even need to look to confirm that his faithful laser cannons were secured to his back: the comfortable weight told him what he needed to know.

It was an unusual situation. So many unfamiliar sensations. Is this what humans felt all the time?

He couldn't contemplate that any more. The explosion of a nearby shell brought his attention to his surroundings. It was a city, he could just above see the ocean between the buildings from his location. Did that mean some sort of naval bombardment was in progress?

Then he saw figures moving in the street. Just a few, but their presence made his newly acquired blood run cold. There were people in this city. That had never been the case before. Cities on the ground were supposed to be far too polluted for people to live there. yet he couldn't deny what he saw. Here in this shelled city, people were living. They weren't even armed. They didn't look like they belonged on a battlefield... Were they civilians?

A fire ignited in every fiber of his being.

There was an ongoing naval bombardment. On a city, with civilian inhabitants. This didn't even look like a military installation.

He was moving before the thought had fully formed. Boosters propelled him down the road towards the ocean.

This would not stand.

This went against everything he had been made for.

He cleared the buildings between himself and the ocean, the sight before him was beyond odd. There were at least a half dozen whale-like creatures with cannons protruding from their mouths. And they were opening fire on the undefended city. The small harbour had been crushed. There was no sign of any defenses. And beyond those strange creatures were a number of figures out on the ocean. At least a kilometer and a half out to sea.

Without hesitation, he charged. Igniting his over boosters, he cleared the distance to his first targets in seconds.

The cannons turned on him, and he was forced to dodge left and right with his lightning-fast quick boosters to avoid the worst of it. He soon came into range with his rifle and fired off a handful of his own shots in response.

The high powered rounds easily pierced through the creature closest to him. He could only guess that he had damaged some sort of ammo cache when it exploded. And then he was too close to effectively use his rifle.

So when he came across the next target, he used his blade.

The laser blade ignited in a furious burst of energy. Swinging it from left to right, he cut down the first enemy and boiled the water beneath it. Steam rose up from the superheated section of the ocean. And the furious knight rushed his next target.

It couldn't be called a fight.

The unwieldy cannons of the whale's simply couldn't turn quickly enough to target their opponent. So they were easy prey for his blade. Three of their number were cut down and one shot to pieces point blank before the last made a smart decision.

It decided to flee.

It was too late.

If it had fled sooner then maybe it could have dived low enough to escape it's adversaries weapons.

But the moment it dived, six long barrels spread in a wing pattern folded forward from the knight's back. Going from a wing like pattern to unmistakable cannons. And then they fired.

Six blasts of concentrated laser energy cut their way through the water, and whatever the strange whale was made from, with ease.

Water vapourized instantly, shrouding the last man standing in a cloak of steam. His boosters kept him suspended just above the water.

There was an explosion about thirty meters off. The spray from the detonation rained down on him.

"Is this the way you live? Preying on the weak and defenseless?"

He turned slowly and deliberately to face the direction the incoming fire was coming from. He was broadcasting on all frequencies. Anybody within two kilometers would easily pick up his signal. He got no response.

"No honour. No responsibilities. No purpose. Such an empty way of life."

A shell impacted barely ten meters in front of him.

He burst through the spray from the shell. Overed Boosters on full blast to close the distance to the enemy fleet. Eyes steady and guns ready.

"Noblesse Oblige! On the field!"

* * *

 **You can now begin the _shipping_ war.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **I am not sorry.**


	2. Nineball Seraph First Arc: Part 1

**Thanks for your reviews everyone! Andivia and I really appreciated the trust you put on us. Don't hesitate to review, with your comments you contribute to the good quality of this fic.**

 **From now on each chapter will show the POW of a different AC.**

 **Disclaimer: RealmOfEmptiness and Andivia don't own Kantai Collection and Armored Core. We just make fanfics out of them.**

"Normal speech"

 _'Thoughts'_

" _Kongou speaking in English_ "

* * *

 _Nineball Seraph First Arc: Part 1_

* * *

For Kongou, name ship of the Kongou Class, proud Shipgirl of the Japanese Imperial Army and maiden waiting with trepidation for when she will be able to finally experience her first love, it was a bad day.

Wait, scratch that: it was a horrible day, plain and simple!

The mission for the day started simple: accompany Kaga to a nearby base (something about a test? Too many difficult words!), wait for her and then go back home together in time for a good cup of tea, a bath and then dinner. Easy.

Only for an Abyssal Fleet to pop up out of nowhere and start opening fire on them without even a warning! How uncouth! She was ready to thoroughly teach them a lesson before another fleet joined the first one, bringing a lot of already deployed air support. Not fair! Not fair at all!

She, her sisters, Kaga and Shimakaze fought back as best as they could, but even for her it soon became clear they were not going to win, or even resist long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Their only hope was to find a breach in the encirclement and escape.

And it was up to her, the flagship, to create that needed breach. So against Kirishima's pleas to stop she gave command to her and drew one of the Wo-Class Carrier's attention, leading her towards a nearby desert island. An opening was made, she just hoped the others would do the sensible thing and escape for the base, leaving her there.

Oh, who was she kidding?! She had to quickly defeat the enemy and go help those lovable fools!

Sadly, she may have underestimated the Wo-Class just a bit. Or maybe of the two she just had to choose the one with updated performances. The fact was, she did her best but still ended up drifting to shore with enough damage to make further combat impossible.

Propping herself up with her elbows she glared at her soon-to-be executioner with all the defiance she could muster.

 _'Hiei, Haruna, Kirishima: please don't be sad. Admiral...I'm sorry.'_

A single tear trailed down her cheek.

The next instant the air was shaken by the roar of a machine gun firing in rapid succession. Kongou's eyes widened as the enemy fighters and bombers were hit and destroyed by a rain of purplish-white projectiles seemingly made of light before, faster than she could see, something from above slammed down between her and the Wo-Class. Putting an arm over her eyes to protect them from the sand she then lowered it to get a better look at her savior.

 _'Huge!'_ That was her first impression. Then she realized that was because she was watching the back of a very strange rigging, two large rectangular blocks with what looked like four steam funnels on the bottom. They hid the upper body from view, leaving visible only arms and legs, both covered by black and red armor. Couple with the entrance it was honestly the strangest Shipgirl she ever saw.

"Target Verified. Commencing Hostilities."

Until it spoke with an unmistakably _masculine_ voice, the words sending a shiver down her spine as if someone had just pronounced a death sentence. Kongou's eyes widened in disbelief as she realized the true gender of her savior. It was a man, but that was impossible: up until now all Shipgirls had always been female, without exceptions!

Of course, that hinged on the supposition her savior was indeed a Shipgirl and not something else entirely.

He began advancing on the Wo-Class with a slow but steady rhythm. The Abyssal's headjaw opened to release her planes.

With impressive speed the mysterious newcomer raised an arm. A shot went off and something punched straight through the headjaw, leaving a gaping hole from side to side.

Immediately after that his walking shifted to running. Reaching the Wo-Class he raised his right arm in the air, fingers straight as if imitating a sword. The Abyssal held up her cane with both hands to block the blow.

There was a flash below his wrist. Kongou swore she saw what looked like a blade made of pure light appearing before he slashed down...to no effect?

"Surprisingly fragile." Uttering words at odds with the result he calmly turned around and walked away. The Abyssal lowered her arms-

And staggered, looking down in confusion at the two halves of her cane in her hands.

The next instant the Wo-Class split into two from head to crotch. Her emotionless eyes seemed to ask what just happened before she blew up.

Kongou stared at the sight, mouth wide open. So fast! And in such an amazing way! She saw a lot of Abyssals being sunk, but never like that. How did he do it?

As he walked back she finally had the chance to properly look at her savior. Like his rigging suggested he was tall, with a height of five feet and ten inches. His feet up to the knee and his arms up to the elbow were covered in red and black armor. Under it he wore red cargo pants, a black shirt and a red jacket. On his chest was a spearhead-shaped red chestplate connected to two shields set over his shoulders. On the latter's center was a symbol: a black disk with a golden '9' inside. His whole head was covered by a red helmet, a jagged yellow glowing line where his eyes should have been.

Kongou gulped as he stopped and looked down at her. He seemed to hesitate for a few moments before he reached up with one gauntlet and moved it in front of his face, from below to above. The helmet then dissolved into light particles, letting her finally see his face.

The first detail that caught her attention were his spiked brown hair swept to the right, the tips of the bangs in front of his forehead dyed yellow. His face had a mix of occidental and oriental traits, with a strong jawline and thick brown eyebrows. His dark golden eyes stared intensely as if silently evaluating her.

He was definitely handsome.

"Can you stand?" he finally asked, holding out a hand.

The moment the last thought passed through her mind Kongou's heart started to beat faster. She felt her cheeks heating up, a strange feeling in her belly as if there were butterflies in her stomach.

 _'Could this be?!'_

It was unmistakable. There was no denying her current feelings. In her young maiden's heart Kongou knew it to be true. It happened very fast, but wasn't it how that kind of thing was supposed to go? Finally, finally her time came!

That was-!

" _Burning Love!_ "

* * *

Nineball expected a lot of possible reactions. He didn't expected the brown haired woman to shout something in English and stand up as if her injuries never happened before throwing herself at him. Legs clasped around his waist and arms around his neck; she started nuzzling her face on his left shoulder with a happy expression, her body positioned so that his Core wouldn't get in the way.

"What are you doing?" He asked, hoping to receive a reasonable explanation for the bizarre behaviour.

"You're so fit darling! Oooh, such hard muscles! _Wonderful!_ "

He was sorely disappointed. So he reacted the appropriate way: by putting his hands under her armpits and pushing away, holding her up in the air like a cat. "Can you stand on your own?" He repeated.

She bobbed her head up and down.

"Good." He lowered her down to ground.

"Thank you for the save!" She said with closed eyes, right fist in the air and left leg raised behind her back. "I thought I was a goner!"

She performed a military salute. "Name ship of the Kongou class, I'm Kongou!" She winked. "Nice to meet you!"

Searching through his data banks Nineball came up with a match in the military history's section. "Like the warship battlecruiser in service to Japan from 1911 to 1945?"

"Not 'like': I AM the battleship Kongou!" She replied with pride.

He stared at her in mute disbelief...before remembering that he too was supposed to be a behemoth of steel and technology instead of looking like a human. "How is that possible?" He muttered.

Kongou looked at him with slight confusion. "Because I am a Shipgirl. Shouldn't you know that?"

His eyebrows narrowed in frustration. "How should I? My last memories were of being destroyed before waking up a few minutes ago, looking like-" He gestured at himself. "-this."

Her eyes widened, a gasp escaping her lips. "Oh. Oh! You were just summoned? You poor dear, that's why you are so confused." She said with a soothing tone. "Don't worry, I'll help you. Do you remember your name?"

"Hus-" He hesitated. While that was indeed his official designation, how everyone both inside and outside the Raven's Nest knew him, he inexplicably felt that using his AC's name was more...correct? Shaking his head he decided it hardly matter since the frame housed his data for so many years it had basically become his body. "Nineball. I am Nineball Seraph."

"Nice to meet you _Nine_!" The girl grinned, raising her right index finger. "It's time for Kongou-sensei's History Lesson! It all began three months ago, when the Abyssals-"

The change was instantaneous: from happy-go-lucky she went deadly serious. "Right, how could I forgot? Sorry _Nine_ , we'll talk later. I have to save them!"

She ran back into the water, taking a few steps-

"Eep!"

Before she stumbled, her legs sinking down to her ankles. "N-No...Not now!" Gritting her teeth she pushed forward, sinking even more.

Until Nineball scooped her up, one hand on her back and the other under her knees. "You're going to hurt yourself." He told her sternly. "You need to assist someone? I'll help."

"Kyaaa!" Kongou squealed in delight. Nineball decided he needed to run a diagnostic on his oculars, because for a split second he saw cartoonish stars replace the girl's eyes and that was clearly not possible. "A princess carry! Darling, so gallant!"

...He couldn't decide if it was some sort of lingo or just an extremely awkward attempt at socialization, but luckily it had nothing to do with him. "Which way?"

Again Kongou switched from happy to serious. "N 55° W."

Course set his boosters roared to life as he blasted forward, skimming on water to save up energy. With a quick mental command his helmet appeared back into place, his HUD showing the way.

Kongou stared down at his feet moving a few centimeters above sea level for a few seconds before raising her head, a contemplative look on her face. " _Nine_ , you aren't a battleship, right?"

"No. I am an Armored Core."

"...What's an Armored Core?" She asked, blankly in confusion.

"That's an explanation that requires time we don't have." He cut off any further questions. "Tell me. The previous enemy, what was it? And why were you two fighting?"

She pouted before eventually comply. "We call them Abyssals: for their appearances, and because they seem to come directly from the ocean's deeps. They appeared out of nowhere three months ago and chased humanity out of the seas. Shipping's basically ground to a halt, most of the world's fleets were torched in the first week and almost all sea-towns were evacuated."

His eyes narrowed, the rage from before surfacing yet again. "They are enemies of humanity." It wasn't a question. Kongou nonetheless nodded. "Why are they doing it?"

"Nobody knows, all attempts at communication ended in failure." She put one hand akimbo and the other on her chest. "That was when, in the direst hour, we Shipgirls appeared. We are girls who possess the souls of battleships of old and their equipment. There is a science behind it, but that's dull and boring."

Somehow he doubted the veracity of the last statement.

"As the only ones with the power to oppose the Abyssals we joined the countries that build us and have since then fought to win back humanity's freedom. I was summoned two months ago together with my sisters, and we have since then served in the Japanese Imperial Navy."

An absurd doubt started making way into his thoughts. "Of the nation of Japan."

"Eh? Well duh, it's in the name."

It was an impossible notion, and yet... "Kongou. Please answer me honestly. What year is it?"

"19XX AD."

19XX AD.

More than _two hundred years_ before the date he 'died', 21XX AD.

He was spared from an internal rant about the absurdity of the current situation from his radar picking up numerous signals ahead. That were moving towards him.

"Nee-sama! Please answer me Kongou Nee-sama!"

The transmission arrived on one of the channels he was scanning. Kongou received it too, because she raised one hand to her ear. "Kirishima! Are you are the others alright?" She transmitted on the same sequence.

"Nee-sama! You're alive. Yes we are well. Did you managed to defeat the Wo-Class Carrier?"

"Not quite. I was saved by someone else."

He zoomed on the approaching figures, distinguishing three different groups. The one of the head was composed of five people: three girls dressed like Kongou, making them her sisters, a black haired girl dressed in traditional japanese archery outfit and-

He ran a diagnostic. Nothing.

He ran another one. Still nothing.

He employed every anti-malware software at his disposal. Absolutely _nothing_.

There was really a twelve years old girl wearing a stripperific sailor uniform with a short skirt and a black thong under it, as if she came straight out of the fantasies of those 'kind' of humans he made sure to completely eradicate and persecute with extreme prejudice all over the Cities.

 _'That is not in any way or shape an acceptable combat outfit.'_

Making a note to thoroughly investigate the circumstances that lead to that _thing_ being allowed he switched his observation to the other two groups.

The first was composed of four grinning skull-like beings with a single glowing green eye, a copy of the woman he destroyed earlier and another woman holding a large shield-like structure in each hand, a cavity on the front housing a battery of firing cannons.

Further behind them were two bikini-clad women holding some sort of mouth-shaped cannon, two half-submerged women holding what looked like a mechanical fish and a giant metallic jaw with arms and legs.

'Abyssals' indeed. Their appearances may be ridiculous, but their firepower was the real thing.

And they were using it against humanity. Killing and destroying indiscriminately without a reason.

Or maybe they had a reason, but he didn't care.

He was created to protect mankind and this world.

He was Nineball Seraph, the Master of the Arena.

And he will not let this stand any longer.

"Someone else?" Kirishima asked.

Kongou grinned. "Oh, you're not going to believe it. He-"

"One of you." He suddenly transmitted on all frequencies.

"E-Eh?"

"Catch."

"Darling? What are you-AAAAAHHHH!"

The rest of Kongou's words was drowned out by his Over Boosters' roar as he accelerated to more than twice his previous speed. The water was blasted away from the kinetic energy, creating a corridor he traveled like a bullet leaving the barrel of a rifle.

Just a second and half of Overboost cleared the remaining distance between him and the other Shipgirls. He turned it over to slow down and tossed Kongou at one of her sisters, a girl with short brown hair. The force from the previous acceleration pushed both backward several meters, but she remained on her feet.

After he was sure of the last part he Overboosted again, locking onto the first line of Abyssals.

[ Play: ACE-R Nineball Seraph Theme Remix ]

"Targets Verified, Commencing Hostilities."

Broadcasting on all frequencies he crossed his arms, both laser blades igniting from under his wrists.

The first skull-lie creature started turning towards him, two cannons poking out of its open jaws. It was halfway through the motion before he blasted past it. The next instant the creature's body split into four parts.

"Nineball Seraph, entering the battlefield."

Using his left side thrusters he instantly turned ninety degrees and opened fire with both machine guns, tearing apart a second creature moving nearby.

Everything took place in less than two seconds.

"Two targets down. Nine more remaining."

He didn't stop. He didn't need to. Constant motion was key. His superior mind and vast battle experience planning the most efficient course of action while adjusting it on real time based on new variables. He rushed at the remaining targets, who stopped their pursuit of the Shipgirls to concentrate solely on him.

That was what he wanted.

Shells of various caliber rained down around him, but they were easily avoided with lightning-fast side movements. Halfway he righted his body and fully unfolded his thrusters to fly into the air, out of their reach.

Deciding to test more of his new armaments he ignited his right laser blade and slashed it in the direction of one of the remaining skull-like creature, simultaneously activating his OP-Intensify. An energy wave left the blade and traveled down until it cut through the creature, causing it to blow up.

The top of his thrusters opened up, the unmistakable sound of missiles leaving their pods and igniting their own thrusters resounding in his ears before they made a downward turn and flew past him.

The final skull-like creature tried to move out of the way, only to utterly fall short of all twelve missiles' automatic locking system.

They connected, and the creature was devoured by a fiery conflagration.

"Four targets down. Seven more remaining."

Once he left the range of the sea-bound Abyssals he was surrounded by all sides by more black planes which opened fire on him.

Only for their shots to bounce off by a spherical crimson shield.

 _'Primal Armor is effective.'_ He noted to himself. Reviewing the data available he had the odd feeling that this new part could do much more, and was hold back only by the source of energy currently fed to it. It wasn't a problem though, just having a rechargeable defence against solid-shell weapons was already an immense boon.

The planes' threat raised considerably when some started dropping aerial bombs. Boosting out of the way, he used his superior speed and maneuverability to weather through the enemy squadron and fire his machine guns. Unfortunately they seemed to have recognized the danger he posed and were now keeping their distance, making up for dropped accuracy with higher volume of fire from all sides and forcing him to dodge more often. Moreover, his Primal Armor was slowly being eroded away by the repeated shots without time to recharge.

To break the stalemate he needed a way to both attack and defend without having to split his attention between the two.

How fortunate he had just the right weapon for that.

Compartments opened up on his binders and released eight red pods. Igniting their own thrusters, they began to orbit around his body.

For some strange reason he had the distinct mental image of eight men, each in a different cockpit. They had large heads on otherwise normal looking bodies, wore black AC pilot uniforms and red shades. He also felt each man was in control of a different pod, and was waiting for orders.

 _'Ugh, I have no time for this now!'_ He sent a mental command for all of them to attack the planes. The eight men did a military salute as a sign of understanding before spreading out and starting firing on the planes with bursts of laser shots.

At the same time he fully opened fire with his machine guns and missile launchers.

The sky lighted up like fireworks, flashes of purple and white mixing with explosions. Were she capable of emotions, the Wo-Class Carrier would have felt unease as she lost contact with more and more planes at an incredible fast rate. She looked up.

That was when Nineball dived down like a meteor. He twisted, and his feet smashed into the too-slow-to-move Abyssal's face with the force of a cannonball, crushing her head like a grapefruit.

"Five targets down. Six more remaining."

The impact raised a column of water. The woman with the shields immediately aimed and fired all of her six cannons at it, causing an even number of even greater explosions.

He burst out completely unscathed, rushing at the Abyssal. Before the woman could adjust her aim all eight Orbit Cannons opened fire at her from behind, making her stumble backward. Nineball immediately fired his machine guns from the front.

The woman managed to endure the onslaught for a full five seconds before her shields blew up and she sunk, her body breaking into pieces.

"Six targets down. Five more remaining."

Nineball lowered himself until his feet were skimming the water in order to let his battery recharge, the pods going back into their compartments. He spared a quick check at the Shipgirls, confirming they hadn't moved and were unharmed, before switching to the second group of enemies. The two bikini-clad women were advancing on him followed by the giant jaw, more black planes coming out of its mouth.

Where were the two half-submerged women?

The answer came when they burst out of the water on either side of him and grabbed his legs, preventing him from moving.

Instead of reacting Nineball just stared down at them, his glowing visor drilling holes into their own glowing eyes. Once he was sure they weren't going to attack but just hold him in place he looked up and, with a eerie calm, watched as the other Abyssals took aim and fire.

The first shot hit the water in front of him, the resulting spray obscuring him from vision. The Abyssals kept unleashing their whole arsenal with relentless abandon: cannons, bombs and even torpedoes. After finishing their ammunitions the planes even resorted to suicide dives.

The violent bombardment continued for a whole minute before, finally, the Abyssal's weapons clicked empty. The two women lowered their cannons to see the result of their attack.

An explosion from behind made them turn, to be greeted with the sight of the giant jaw missing almost all of its entire left side.

"A suicide tactic. You're improving."

Nineball's voice came out of seemly nowhere. His flat tone made difficult to decide if he was using sarcasm or not.

A flash of light, and one of the women's arm was severed from the shoulder.

They looked around frantically, still unable to see anything else beside themselves.

Another arm was cut off, leaving one of the two women armless.

The remaining one turned tail and fled.

She didn't make even three feet before her head was separated from her neck. Her headless body jerked forward before falling to its knees and sinking.

That's when it happened: as if magically removing the paint from a wall, part of the landscape faded away, revealing the figure of Nineball hovering in the air. His left hand had an active laser blade, while the right one was holding in a vice grip the twitching severed head and torso of one of the half-submerged women, his fingers save the thumb plunged into her eye sockets.

"But this is the end."

He tossed the torso at the armless woman, the force so great it made her skip backward until she slammed into the wreckage of the giant jaw.

Nineball deactivated the laser blade, crossed his arms above his chest and then spread them. The spearhead on his breastplate split into two and opened, revealing the head of a cannon with its insides glowing bright white.

"Laser Cannon...Fire!"

A giant beam of concentrated light tore through the air, instantly vaporizing the water for dozens of meters around it. The last three Abyssals were engulfed by the light, and promptly _ceased to exist_.

[ Stop Playing: ACE-R Nineball Seraph Theme Remix ]

Its objective achieved, the Laser Cannon powered down and went back into standby mode. Allowing himself a small luxury, Nineball crossed his arms in front of his chest and relaxed. His gaze swept the battlefield, taking note of the still turbid water and the airborne dregs left by the battle, thankfully within acceptable limits. The Shipgirls, those who like him were not part of mankind but still fought to protect it, were unharmed and alive.

"Eleven targets down. No more targets remaining."

He nodded to himself.

"Mission: Completed."

* * *

 **For Nineball's human appearance see: Kyosuke Nanbu (SRW)**

 **For those interested, this is the list of the Abyssals that Nineball destroyed in the chapter:**

 **4 Ha-Class Destroyers  
** **1 Wo-Class Aircraft Carrier  
** **Flagship: 1 Ru-Class Battleship**

 **2 Ka-Class Submarines  
** **1 Nu-Class Light Carrier  
** **1 Ri-Class Heavy Cruiser  
** **Flagship: 1 Ri-Class Heavy Cruiser**


	3. White Glint First Arc: Part 1

**Disclaimer: RealmOfEmptiness and Andivia don't own Kantai Collection and Armored Core. Try asking someone else.**

* * *

 _White Glint First Arc: Part 1_

* * *

The sinking wrecks of a half dozen ships and the flaming debris of crashed planes floated in silence.

There was a natural pause in the battle. Something unavoidable when a totally unexpected element enters the field. It was that moment where people have to stop and decide if they should be shooting the new guy.

White Glint's HUD lit up, targets designated and allies marked. Words formed on the screen:

 **"Main Systems Online, Engaging Combat Mode"**

The blue lights of his helmet's faceplate lit up and, like a starting signal, the enemy's cannons fired. Shells met the empty space where white glint had once been just a few moments before.

Immediately return fire from a pair of high calibre rifles came from a spot ten metres to the right. Rounds crashed into the target, a young woman wearing little more than a shirt and underwear who somehow managed to carry a pair of triple cannons in her sleeves, but she was protected by the worst of it by a crimson field of energy.

"Primal armour... Some kind of NEXT?" The question didn't leave the AC's helmet, his lips whispering the words so softly they went lost through the cacophony of the battlefield, but it rose some important questions, the most relevant of which being what exactly his enemies could bring to bear against him. However he discarded them almost immediately: he'd find out soon enough after all. And if he was lucky his own primal armour would protect him from anything he couldn't evade.

It was only when the expected support fire from the second girl didn't come that he realised she wasn't there any longer. The second one had been an odd looking girl with extremely long hair floating in the water while she cradled in her arms some sort of mechanical fish, and she was conspicuously absent from the battlefield.

He couldn't find the missing combatant on his radar, so he ignored her and charged into the fray. He dodged to the side to avoid a second volley of shells, then boosted straight forward. Closing the distance so that he could pound on his opponent's armour with reckless abandon.

His enemy had a pathetic reload time and it was far too easy to predict where the next shot would be placed. It was almost unfair the way her target would practically teleport the instant after she fired. It was like trying to shoot a mirage for her. On the other hand White Glint was firing at a practically stationary target. So it was no surprise when her crimson shield broke within a minute of him opening fire. It was more surprising that it had lasted as long as it had.

White Glint went in for the kill. Boosting to near point-blank range for the killing blow, narrowly avoiding another salvo of shells that showered him in shrapnel when they exploded. But it was too little, too late: his own primal armour burst to life in a field of blue particles when the superheated metal encountered it. Not a single shard touched his pristine frame, even as the energy of his primal armour took a hit.

It was an instant before he pulled the trigger that he started to get a bad feeling.

It was while he was pulling the trigger that he realised why.

His target wasn't even trying to escape.

Then something erupted from the ocean below him: giant jaws threatening to swallow him whole. The only thing stopping him from falling down the gullet of a disfigured whale was the fact that he was holding it's jaws open with his legs. Well, that and the double cannons down the thing's throat, which were in a marvellous position to blow him to hell.

Glint leaned forward for a moment, bending his front knee. Then kicked backwards with everything he had a split second before the cannons below him erupted. The result was a blast of hot air and a pair of shells scraping his primal armour, but the backflipping NEXT suffered no direct damage before clearing out of the beast's jaws.

The instant he was almost righted from his impromptu backflip he reignited his boosters to avoid sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Barely managing to get them going in time, his feet ended up submerged to the ankle before he began to rise.

As soon as he was sure sinking wasn't an immediate concern he boosted backwards. Within a few moments he was a couple of hundred meters back and a dozen or so meters above the waves. Far enough to reassess the situation and high enough not to be taken off guard like that again.

His adversaries must have realised the same trick wouldn't work twice. Or maybe they just felt like putting more cannons on the field; either way, soon five more whale-like creatures burst from the depths to join their allies.

Inside his armour Glint was totally relaxed. He took a moment to check his ammunition indicator. "Seven targets. Twelve full magazines. Forty-six scatter missiles. No logistical support available..." He idly dodged a volley of fire from the arrayed opposition while finishing his assessment. Then he glanced over to the side and did something most would consider idiotic.

He tossed his left-hand rifle onto a disabled ship.

"...Sorry. I can't justify wasting more munitions in this skirmish."

His now empty hand slid down to his upper thigh, where the armour opened up and a boxy object with twin prongs extending forward attached itself to his forearm.

Then he abandoned the advantage of distance and charged.

[ Play - AC4A OST The Answer (Extended)]

In the blink of an eye Glint was practically at arm's reach from his first enemy, its guns trained on his form just a moment away from firing. That moment would never come: before the cumbersome opponent could even hope to retaliate energy erupted between the prongs on Glint's forearm and took the form of a blade that cleaved right through the adversary before him.

White Glint was moving an instant before the ammunition cache of his enemy ignited. The unintended explosion clouded the sight of his enemies as he flanked an identical copy of his last target.

The instant he passed in front of the enemy his wings began to extend; he was facing its side when the Over Boosters burst to life propelling him into the enemy at over mach one speed. It was only his own armour that stopped him from damaging his own body. Likewise the sheer mass of his enemy was enough to protect anything important.

It wasn't enough to stop it being shoved at mach one speed towards a pair of its allies. The boost lasted for less than a second, but the force was enough to crash the three creatures together. Glint didn't waste a moment: the blade on his arm burst to life once more and carved its way through his enemies once. Twice. Then a third time for good measure. There was no doubt they were eliminated when he broke away, making sure to keep one of the last two creatures between himself and the other two opponents so that they wouldn't attack for fear of allied fire.

It proved to be a wasted effort when the sound of numerous cannons firing met his ears. The sight of armour piercing rounds tearing through the beast in front of him made evasion an attractive option. Though he shouldn't have bothered: only two of the six penetrating shells actually hit and those had already travelled fully through their armoured ally. The damage was barely enough to scratch his frame through the primal armour... It was still the best they'd managed to do.

Three contacts pinged on his long distance radar. There was no way of telling if they were allies of the defenders or the attackers, but either way he had to hurry and finish these two off.

With a sense of urgency in his movements White Glint renewed his assault. He chose to use one of the sinking corpses as a stepping stone to launch himself above any planned follow up attack. It wasn't needed, his enemies had bet everything on that last shot.

They had no way to defend themselves when Glint descended on them.

His blade stabbed right into the centre of the remaining whale: piercing deeply into its form, and a moment later igniting the ammunition cache that Glint had aimed for. He was starting to learn where to hit these things for maximum damage.

He let the force of the explosion push him backwards, transferring the relatively small force into a spin that brought his blade around to cleave his final enemy in two. The slim energy blade met a crimson field: apparently the shield had recharged, but that resistance lasted for barely a second, shattering like glass.

It would have been a perfect strike, cleaving his enemy's head from her shoulders with no chance of resistance or retaliation.

He noticed it out of the corner of his eye, a faint streak in the water. His sensors weren't designed to pick up something like that, but he knew what it was.

Without warning he broke off, aborting the attack. Boosters flared as their power increased, lifting him just above the projectile as he disappeared towards its origin. He was flying practically sideways when he arrived at the position, blade-equipped arm reaching down into the water. He grabbed something firmly and dragged it to the surface, revealing the form of a familiar woman, her hair held in his hand. He dragged her fully out of the water before tossing her directly upwards.

He didn't bother lowering his arm. He simply changed its angle slightly, then ignited the blade.

The helpless woman was bisected as she fell through it, falling apart as she splashed into the water on either side of him. A crimson liquid that looked eerily like blood stained the pristine form of White Glint.

"Sorry, I almost forgot about you."

The line was delivered in a matter of fact tone. If anything, he sounded disinterested.

When he turned back to his original opponent those emotionless eyes of hers didn't seem so empty. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have understood what that look was.

Anyone else might have recognised it as the beginnings of panic.

It didn't get any further than that. She was dead with a quick boost and a swing of his arm. As the headless body fell into the water he had his first moment of real peace since the fighting started. Just a moment to rest.

Then the contacts closed to engagement ranges. Just as another pair of contacts left the harbour. He didn't have the chance to wonder about those from the harbour because two of the three contacts from out on the ocean unleashed about a dozen missiles each on him. A moment later the allied contacts behind him let loose their own missiles.

He sighed for a moment. He was allowed that much, the opposing weapons wouldn't hit for about twenty seconds yet. They were moving quite slowly for their size. That wouldn't make being caught in between two missile barrages any more pleasant though.

He was dragged out of his thoughts when a burst of machine gun fire impacted the water around him. Now that his attention was firmly focused on the oncoming objects he realized it wasn't actually a bunch of missiles: they looked like strange... bugs with machine guns on their underside.

He evaded their fire, now intent on trying to close the distance with those contacts. Drones were even worse than missiles. But then the rest of the drones added their own fire to the one that had already reached him.

It was like trying to evade a hail of needles. One or two would be annoying, yes, but would bounce right off his armour. One or two hundred would whittle it away and start battering his frame. So he couldn't afford to advance recklessly, that became doubly apparent when they started trying to drop bombs on his head.

It wasn't a particularly dangerous situation, it was just irritating. There was no telling when he'd next be able to resupply, so he needed to conserve everything he could. That meant recklessly firing his rifle to try to take down the drones wouldn't be a good idea. Using up a couple of missiles to take down whatever was controlling the drones would be a better one, but trying to get within range while dodging fire from practically every direction was taking forever. It was made worse when a new enemy with oversized hands that carried three cannons each opened up on him. His evasive maneuvers approached levels that would have put the rank one to shame, and it was taking its toll on his energy levels. He was about to cut his losses and just hit the Over Boosters when he saw something that made him doubt the functionality of his eyes.

It was a miniature plane. An ancient design that still used a propeller, and passed close enough for him to reach out and touch it if he so wished. But that wasn't too odd, it might just be an eccentric design for a drone or missile. It wasn't any more unusual than the ones firing at him.

The fact that there was a tiny woman sitting in the cockpit saluting him as she flew past instead made him pause.

 _'Was that a gremlin? Those little things some LYNXs say are responsible for malfunctioning equipment?'_

He broke off and observed the new support dogfighting with the drones that attacked him.

He also waited for the error message telling him what was wrong with his eyes and sensors. It didn't come.

He tried to run a diagnostic himself to figure out why he was hallucinating. Sadly it said everything was working fine.

He was about to give up and just reboot the whole damn system when a voice stopped him. "Alright~! We're going all out Hiyou!"

Glancing over to the side he saw that the two allied contacts were a pair of women wearing white blouses with red trimmings, odd boots that seemed to allow them to stay standing on the water and some odd ship like object attached to their waists. Oh, and they each had a scroll hanging from their arms, with paper airplanes flying off that then become real planes identical to the ones assisting him.

Now, how do humans reboot their brains again?

"Don't be careless Jun'you, repairs were barely finished on time."

Glint sighed when he realised he wasn't qualified to deal with these kind of malfunctions. He'd just have to hurry up and take down the enemy, then he could deal with the gremlin hallucinations.

His Over Boosters slid into position once more and he was propelled forwards with the blast of a sonic boom in his wake. It took less than five seconds for him to close to the middle of his three enemies, right in front of the one that was still trying to hit him with her cannons. He cut his boosters the same instant his blade erupted into life. As predicted, an energy barrier of some kind protected the larger enemy.

Against the force of an overbooster propelled energy blade it lasted for about a split second. The enemy was bisected nearly instantaneously. Glint was carried on by the residual force behind his boost.

He took a moment to check back on the ongoing dogfight, using the electronics in his armour to zoom in on one of the allied fighters.

Yep. Still piloted by a gremlin.

His head fell in despair. He was White Glint. Line Ark's greatest military asset. The partner of Anatolia's Mercenary. The former partner of the legendary Joshua O'Brien. He'd destroyed whole armies practically alone.

And now he was seeing gremlins.

He really just wanted this to be done now. So he raised his rifle and fired two shots.

Two enemies hit the water.

 **"Mission Objective Achieved, System Returning To Normal Mode"**

[ Stop Playing - AC4A OST The Answer (Extended)]

That was it, he was done. Now he just had to get his other rifle back and leave: it was definitely time to get a technician to look over his new body.

After the short trip to retrieve his rifle was done he found that, contrary to past affirmations, he didn't quite know what to do. He could leave, his job was done. Or he could maybe contact the base and ask for a resupply in payment, but first he needed to know a little more about the situation... In hindsight it had been a hasty decision to even participate in that skirmish, but he didn't regret it. He thought that his partners would have approved.

"Heeeeey~! Shiro-chan!"

He stowed away his laser blade as he walked over to the side of the immobilised ship. Looking over the edge he saw exactly what he expected: one of those two allied units, the one with violet hair, was standing on the water waving her arms to get his attention. He tried very hard to ignore the planes that were flying towards the scroll she held before turning back into paper. He was already questioning his sanity, no need to test it further.

Still, he had to answer somehow. He was loath to drop a rifle after only just retrieving it, so he settled for nodding his head in response to her odd greeting.

"Eeeeh? What's with that response? We just sank two fleets, you should be more excited after that!" She accompanied her exclamation with a raised fist. "Aaanyway~ Sonar's clear, so we're heading back. Admiral gave the green light for you to come in for repairs. Drinks are on me tonight eh~"

He blinked under his helmet. It was an attractive prospect really, even if he wasn't sure he could assume alcoholics, or liquid for that matter. But he couldn't accept without knowing who was in control of the base. So of course, he asked. "Which corporation is in command here?"

The girl, Jun'you the other called her, jumped back a bit in comical surprise. "Eh!? Shiro-Chan is actually Shiro-Kun? I thought all Shipgirls were girls."

Glint's head fell again. He was beginning to sorely miss sinking alongside his partner, that had been pretty peaceful all things considered. Then he reached up, feeling something crawling alongside his shoulders, that he somehow knew was supposed to be there, before he grabbed his helmet. There was a slight hiss as the slight pressure difference between the outside and inside of his helmet equalised, apparently his armour was totally sealed. Then he removed his helmet.

Later he would get confirmation by looking into a mirror, but at the moment the removed helmet revealed a mess of spiky chin length blonde hair, with soft slightly feminine features that were still clearly male and bright blue eyes. "I have no idea what a Shipgirl is. But I'm quite certain that this body is male. Could you please answer my question?"

She tilted her head to the side for a second before finally answering. "Eh? Well this is a Japanese Imperial Navy base. I don't think there are any corporations here."

He blinked. Maybe he misheard. He hoped so. "Japanese Imperial Navy... As in, the Navy of the country called Japan?"

She responded as she put her hands on her hips, leaning forward and speaking as though he was an idiot. "Huh, did you get hit on your head Shiro-Kun? Of course it is: the Japanese Imperial Navy is a part of the Japanese military."

Nope. He didn't mishear. "...Sorry, what year is it currently?"

She kept the same expression while answering. Not a hint of deception or humour. "19XX AD."

Glint froze in surprise.

 _'19XX? Seriously?'_

The reason was obvious.

He died in 26XX AD.

He will die in over _seven hundred years_.

There was no way things like ACs currently existed. There was no way Line Ark existed... Anatolia probably hadn't even existed yet.

It was with a slightly shaken voice that he asked his last question: "Why do you keep calling me Shiro?"

It seemed to be a better question than his last ones. Jun'you's eyes lit up with a mischievous twinkle as she leaned back. "Eh, what else should I call a rude knight in shining white armour who doesn't even introduce himself? Or should I just say 'hey you' all day?"

A wry smile crept along Glint's face as he remembered what little of human interaction he'd seen. "I always thought it was traditional for the person starting the conversation to introduce themselves first."

She laughed. "Ah, yeah. I guess that's right." She struck a pose, some sort of military salute with one eye shut and a grin on her face. "Ex-merchant ship Junyo~! Your turn Shiro-Kun."

He couldn't help but smile. This little interaction, it was more than he'd ever had before. So he stood up straighter, pride in his stance and voice. "Collared's rank nine: White Glint. I'll be in your care."

* * *

 **And that's the chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading! I'm your friendly neighbourhood collaborator Andivia, and this is my little ending note.**

 **Honestly, there's not too much I want to say. Just a note on Glint's appearance, he's based off the short haired version of Ky Kiske (Guilty Gear)... Not really much else to say there.**

 **Shiro is Japanese for 'white' by the way. That's why Jun'you started calling Glint that. It's better than just yelling "hey you" in my opinion.**

 **Anything else? Nope. Can't think of anything.**

 **I guess that's it from me then. Hope you guys continue to enjoy our work.**


	4. Noblesse Oblige First Arc: Part 1

**Disclaimer: ReamOfEmptiness and Andivia don't own Kantai Collection and/or Armored Core. We would like for it to be true however.**

* * *

 _Noblesse Oblige First Arc: Part 1_

* * *

While his charge may be considered reckless Noblesse Oblige used the small time window before engagement to classify the targets out on the sea as 'Hostile', the respective marks on his HUD turning red in response, and to observe them.

There were four of them: and while the previous whale-like creatures were confusing, those currently shooting at him were downright bizarre.

The first two were a pair of identical girls with white hair and glowing red eyes. Wearing a mix of normal clothes and some kind of strange black armor, they had two tail-like appendages coming out of their backs and rising above their shoulders with a three-barrel cannon at the end of each of them.

Behind them was another girl with similar appearance, but instead of armor and tails she had a long coat wrapped over her shoulders, three two-barreled cannons coming out from behind each of her hips.

Finally, moving closely and behind the third girl, was what Noblesse could only describe as a giant metal sphere. A vaguely female upper body, pale and bloated, was hanging out from an opening on one side: it was wrapped in a black torn cloth, the head was covered by a helmet shaped like the upper half of an eyeless creature and the arms were bolted on the sphere's surface behind the body. He couldn't help but compare it to the possible result of a particularly gruesome torture.

Nonetheless. Even if their appearance was bizarre and unlike the enemies he was used to face, there was no doubt they were that: enemies. Their weapons were firing at him, and while he couldn't be absolutely certain they were in league with the whale-like creatures that were at the city, it was definitely more likely than not.

That meant it was his duty was to defeat them.

While dodging the, in his eyes, slow-firing cannons Noblesse took aim with his rifle and fire a couple of shots at each girl. He ignored the metal sphere for now: it was not attacking, so it was likely to be an unit with a different purpose than combat. If so he could afford to give it a lower priority.

Each shot soundly hit the target. The twin girls had holes being blown in their main body, from which flew out metallic debris and a black substance whose density, as far as he could tell, stood a bit below oil; reinforcing their artificial nature. However, in the case of the girl behind them most of the damage from the bullets was prevented by a crimson field of energy.

Noblesse's first thought was to classify the crimson field as Primal Armor. If that made the enemy some kind of unorthodox NEXT he wasn't sure, after all Primal Armor was also deployed by other crafts. In any case, that only one target had access to it made the whole task easier.

"Too easy." He muttered while advancing past the enemy bombardment, the arm holding the rifle lowering. They were too slow, as things were even with that Primal Armor he could simply pick them off one by one.

Unfair. There was no honor in that strategy. Neither of his Partners would have approved.

[ Play - Guilty Gear X2 OST Pride And Glory (Kliff's Theme) ]

His Over Boosters ignited and propelled him forward faster than the speed of sound. He reappeared in front of one of the twin girls, her cannons still smoking from a shot he actually dodged before even boosting.

The laser blade once again came to life as he swung it, too fast for the girl to react. The weapon moved through the target without facing resistance and completed its movement just as Noblesse stopped behind her. One moment later she exploded, the NEXT's own Primal Armor flaring blue as it protected him.

"Petty bandits. Allow me to show you the pride of Rosenthal!"

A warning tone blared within his helmet, his HUD immediately highlighting incoming indirect fire. It seemed something was adding its guns to the fray from beyond the horizon, he just happened to be sitting right in the middle of their killing zone.

He considered if the target was him or his current enemies. The first one was unlikely, the attackers would lack a reason for hostility due to the lack of previous interactions between him and them. He only regained awareness recently, and wherever this place he was sure he has never been there before. Certainly he couldn't exclude the possibility those firing somehow knew he was there and had a reason to attack him...but it felt contrived. Too complicated of an explanation to be likely.

The second one, that the third party was targeting his current enemies, instead made more sense. After all before he interfered those units were committing a naval bombardment on a city full of civilians, so it was logical for the local military force, if there was one, to sooner or later receive notice of the events and send their own units to engage. In that case, either their systems couldn't tell him apart from the other hostile units...or they could, but chose to ignore it.

 _'I will have to inquire on which case it is.'_

Noblesse thought dispassionately. Then immediately evaded the projected target of the first shell, abandoning a head on charge of the second twin in favour of avoiding the deadly projectile. An instant after the decision was made a shell crashed into the waves, exploding with force enough to stagger his target and launching a miniature wave of saltwater that obscured his view. It mattered not. Before his adversary's optics could adjust Noblesse burst through the thin obstruction with the glowing orange blade brandished before him. Lunging forward, the blade pierced deeply within his enemy's cannon. A brief glance at his radar, and he aborted a killing blow in favour of tearing his blade out and moving to interpose the disarmed foe between himself and the next exploding shell. She took the worst of it, and a single swing made quick work of any last embers of life.

Turning to the side at the last two enemy units Noblesse found himself locking eyes with the girl wearing the long coat. There were no emotions in those red orbs, but a sort of awareness: that he was the biggest threat to her continued existence.

He praised her judgment. Then he accelerated towards her, avoiding both the long-ranged fire and her own with lightning-fast side movements. Once they were both within range, she and the strange sphere behind her, and not before the six long barrels on his back spread out, going from a wing formation to a battery of six deadly laser cannons.

They fired at the same time.

Six blasts of concentrated laser energy pierced through the enemy shells, vaporizing them. Then they did the same with the red barrier, the girl and finally the sphere.

[ Stop Playing - Guilty Gear X2 OST Pride And Glory (Kliff's Theme) ]

Even with the last enemies dead and the bombardment having come to a stop Noblesse didn't allow himself even a brief moment of respite, his boosters reduced to the minimum setting that would allow his systems to cool down but still enough to keep himself suspended above the water. He hadn't been built specifically for sea battles, but he thanked Rosenthal for being prudent enough to enable rest without needing a solid surface.

His HUD picked up two approaching signals, with another two standing a fair distance behind. They were, without a doubt, the ones behind the previous long-distance fire.

Turning his head to the side he got his first good look at the mysterious third party. The first unit had the appearance of a human girl, the skin a normal coloration, with short purple hair and a single yellow eye, the other covered by an eyepatch. On both sides of its head were some sort of fins, probably antennas for communication. Noblesse's attention was drawn by the blade in her hand: physical and one-edged, more similar to an oversized knife than a proper sword. Instead of armor she wore civilian clothes, a cardigan and skirt combination, though the presence of a tie suggested the possibility of an uniform of some sort. He wasn't aware of many organizations where the uniform for female officers include a skirt, but some were registered within his database. The only odd pieces of her attire were strange metal bars coming out of her boots and a contraption of some sort on her back housing two small cannons.

The second unit was similar to the first one: skin with a normal coloration, purple hair if a few shades lighter and purple eyes. Above her head hovered a metal ring Noblesse couldn't identify the function of, let alone how it stayed up without support.

 _'Maybe magnetic force?'_ He wondered, the oddity of it making him wary.

Her weapon was a glaive, and on her back was a contraption similar to the one possessed by the first one, if more elaborated and equipped with three-barreled cannons.

Before he could initiate communications the one with the eyepatch anticipated him, or as he remember one of the technicians working on him saying, 'beat him to the punch'.

"This is Tenryuu-sama's attack! Yosha!"

He felt the muscles of his face -the fact he had a face, probably under the head part of his armor, was filed away for later- move, lifting by two centimeters the area above his left optic, or rather his eye. If he had to guess it was an instinctual reaction to the odd battlecry, or maybe because the rather amateurish way she held that sword grated on his pride. If you equip a weapon you must be able to use it at least to the level of a trained soldier or not equip it at all: having a tool without knowing how to use it is more dangerous that not having it during times of need.

Then he heard the second unit's following words: "What a pity, it's just clean-up duty." After that she pointed her cannons at him and fired, a small and pleased smile on her face.

 _'I do wonder...is this what humans call annoyance?'_ Noblesse wondered, dodging the shells well in advance before boosting in front of the first unit. Without even giving her time to react his blade ignited, severing the upper part of her sword. Then as the inertia pushed him past her it was followed by the barrels of the two cannons.

Another Overboost and he was standing in front of the second unit, the barrel of his rifle dangerously close to her face.

"I don't appreciate being treated like garbage, and especially not being attacked without a valid reason. Cease your hostility immediately, or I will make you."

The second unit slightly reeled back, no doubt taken by surprise at the reversal of roles, mouth opening and eyes widening...when suddenly, as if only then recognizing an important factor that put everything under a different perspective, she closed her mouth while her eyelids began to move up and down quickly. Almost as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"My sword! My cannons!" The first unit cried behind Noblesse. Knowing he crippled her offensive potential the NEXT didn't turn around, trusting his radar to detect in time any attempt at retaliation. "You prick! Stay away from Tatsuta or-!"

"Tenryuu-chan, please wait." The second unit said with a collected but firm tone, causing the first unit to fall into silence. Then she seemed to relax before looking into Noblesse's eyes, or at least where she likely believed they were situated. "I'm sorry, but can you please talk again?"

Noblesse tilted his head in confusion at the strange request. "Very well. In exchange, however, I ask that you explain your reasons for demanding that, and why you and your allies attacked me." Seeing a chance to initiate peaceful contact he lowered his rifle, freeing her visuals but aiming instead at the center of her body.

"What?! A man?" was the startled shout coming from the unit identified a Tenryuu.

"Wow. So I was right." The unit identified as Tatsuta brought one hand over her mouth. "You talk, you're male and your rigging is weird as hell-" What did she mean with that? He was a state of the art NEXT, he was _not_ weird. "You are not an Abyssal, are you?"

"I do not know what you would classify as an 'Abyssal', but I have never been be referred to as such." He replied. "But, if it is something you expected to find while coming here, then I assume it refers to the hostile units that were attacking that civilian city before I engaged them."

"Yes, that's quite right." She closed her eyes, the stretching of her facial muscles suggesting she was smiling behind her hand. "To answer your question in a simple way, they are our enemies. After receiving a distress call we came here to fight them, and we may have mistaken you for an Abyssal since, well, you were the only one there."

They were given a target and the area where it could be found, only for someone else to arrive first and eliminate the target without their knowledge. Yes, Noblesse could see how those circumstances may lead to misleading conclusions, especially if they also assumed their earlier long-range bombardment managed to take down a lot of targets.

"There is no reason to fight among ourselves, so would you be willing to engage in cordial talk?"

Noblesse considered the proposal. Unlike the 'Abyssals' Tenryuu and Tatsuta seemed honorable people, even if their manners left something to be desired. That they were willing, or maybe just able, to communicate was a bonus he could use to gather much-needed knowledge about his surroundings.

"...I accept." He finally replied, lowering his rifle until the barrel was aimed at the water below. If it was a trap he could lift it up fast enough to shoot her at point-blank if he kept a minimum distance, or shoot the water to create a distraction, but he judged the probabilities of that to be low. His boosters gently moved him back and to the left in order to form a triangle with the two girls, a formation which allowed him to keep both in sight.

"Oi Tatsuta!" Tenryuu waved her fist at her comrade in irritation. "You should ask me first before proposing something like that!"

"I apologize Tenryuu-chan. I just wanted the negotiations to be successful."

"Then why-Wait a sec! What are you implying Tatsuta?!"

 _'They must be long time partners to banter so casually with each other.'_ Noblesse mused. It may seem contradictory, but he had witnessed allied pilots exhibit the same behavior during battle. If he was not mistaken, using something called 'familiarity' humans were able to convey their true feelings to each other despite using false or misleading words. Kind of like an IFF system used by an unit camouflaged with the enemy's colors.

"Tenryuu-san! Tatsuta-san!" Came a cry from afar. While they were talking the two other units approached their position. "Is it safe now?"

"Yes! Come on closer!" Tatsuta waved at them. As they comply with the invitation Noblesse was finally able to see the units clearly: both had brown hair and eyes, their similar physical characteristics suggesting they are of the same model. They shared a different uniform, white and brown and more civilian-looking, and over it wore a strange armor with five huge double-barreled cannons surrounding them on all sides and a radar array on their back.

The still smiling girl turned back to Noblesse, though now she seemed embarrassed. "Dear me, I forgot to introduce myself. Light cruiser Tatsuta, second ship of the Tenryuu-Class. Nice to meet you." She finished with an elegant bow.

"Tch. I'm the name ship of the Tenryuu-Class, Light cruiser Tenryuu! Remember that!" She finished while waving her broken sword at him.

At that moment a new window opened up on his HUD:

 **"Remove headgear? Y/N"**

Indeed, it would be impolite to keep hiding his face when his interlocutors were showing theirs. After selecting 'Y' Noblesse felt something come loose around his next area. With a slight hiss, which told him the pressure was different between outside and inside, his helmet was removed by minute servomechanisms before being slotted on his back.

The removal of the helmet revealed short and unkempt black hair set above a stern face with quite a few scars, and piercing green eyes. He stood straight and confident before proudly declaring: "Collared's rank five, representing Rosenthal Industries: Noblesse Oblige. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

* * *

"Don't break formation!" The short girl with long, straight black hair wearing a hakama over a green kimono warned when seeing one member of the fleet straying from the designed path.

"Sorry Hatakaze-san!" The other girl replied with a military salute and a wink before correcting her course.

"Why is Hatakaze-san so serious?" The girl next to her asked with a bored expression. "This is just a scouting."

"Even a simple scouting mission must be taken seriously." She replied. "This strait of the sea has been lost since the start of the war, we don't know where the enemies may be located, or how many ships they have."

At the same time, many miles away from the girls' position, a pair of eyes slowly opened, revealing blood red and glowing pupils, before narrowing. They moved around until they settled upon a distant point on the horizon.

Three large, metallic masses began to move.

"Even so, can we relax for now or not? It's not like we are going to get ambushed." The fourth girl, the final member of the fleet, spread her arms. "I mean, look around. Nothing but open water for miles."

The next instant she was consumed by a large detonation of blinding light.

For a few moments the other three Shipgirls remained paralyzed, unable to understand what happened right in front of their eyes.

Then another one of them was instantly torn apart by another explosion.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Hatakaze screamed as she and her last comrade began to accelerate in different directions. "The enemy?! Where it is?"

"I-I don't know." The other girl replied in a panic. "Both the radar and the sonar report no-" She managed to say before meeting the same end.

Hatakaze, fifth of the Kamikaze-class destroyers, felt the awareness of being the last one alive gaining physical weight as her body lost the will to move. Crying, empty eyes stared at the empty sea. "Who..."

Her brain managed to register a single, last frame -a minuscule pinpoint of light appearing above the horizon- before it and the rest of her body ceased to function.

The blood red eyes closed again. From the beginning until the end, they displayed nothing but cold indifference.

* * *

 **We're so very sorry! A combination of writer's block and work kept both of us away from this story, but no more!**

 **Not to say updates from now on will come out at the speed of light, but both me and Andivia are definitely back on action!**

 **For Noblesse's appearance, he's based on Colonel Io from Broken Blade.**

 **The following chapters will center around Nineball Seraph, so Glint and Noblesse will be absent for some time, so Glint and Noblesse will be absent for some time.**


End file.
